Two-fer

Two-fer

This post will be a two-fer: I have two topics I'd like to cover, both related to Lent, but since someone thinks I'm hogging the blogosphere, I'll combine them into one post.

Lent Begins

It's my favorite time of the year! I love Lent, Holy Week, the Triduum, and the Easter season! I love each season in its due time! Lent is a time of renewal and spiritual preparation for the most Holy mystery of Christ's death and resurrection. For most people, Lent is a time to give something up. I usually give something up during Lent and then factor the cost of that thing over a 40 day period and give the money to my parish. This year, I'm not giving anything up, but of course living in poverty is essentially already giving a lot of things up.

Fasting:

On Ash Wednesday, when we Catholics are obliged to fast, I came to the realization:

I fast twice a year because I'm obliged to.

There are too many who "fast" every day because they have 
no choice.

For years I have annoyingly corrected people who say, "I'm starving" because they haven't eaten all day. Nothing annoys me more than someone who has access to food complaining about normal hunger in such an exaggerated way. On Ash Wednesday as I walked down the sidewalk to work, I saw a homeless man who had apparently dug some Taco Bell leftovers out of the trash. I bet he was starving! Being on my fast, I thought about how hungry I would have to be to resort to eating out of a trash can. I'm sure if I hadn't eaten in days I could force myself to do it. Unfortunately, there are too many people who live in "food deserts"- places with little or no access to grocery stores offering fresh and affordable food. While these people aren't necessarily homeless, they are primarily in impoverished neighborhoods. Why open a grocery store in a poor neighborhood where theft, vandalism and other unprofitable activities will probably occur? Because poor people need to eat too!! 

My little brother and I have started a non-profit called E3 Community Development Corporation. Our vision is to: End cyclical poverty by resourcing urban communities. Our first project is called Garden Market. Garden Market will be a non-profit grocery store in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Nashville, TN. Our goal is to provide a community with access to fresh, affordable food, as well as looking at providing educational services in regards to nutrition and menu planning. Please consider donating to this cause.

Little Black Book:

Opposite the "Operation Rice Bowl" page for today is the Scripture and meditation. Today's Scripture was Matthew 6:19-21. The first line of the meditation really resonated with me:

There are days when I think I'm useless.

For a guy with chronic depression, this is sometimes a daily mantra. The second line of the meditation reinforced the point:

I can't seem to do anything worthwhile.

I feel that too! But then the author starts driving home a point I think most people living in poverty would say a big, "AMEN" to:

Says who? And measured by what standards? By the car I drive (or don't drive)? By the job I have (or don't have)? By the clothes I wear?

As I alluded to in my last post, I think the materialistic and consumer driven mindset our culture is geared toward creates a measure of "happiness" based on things. There is an attitude that people living in poverty can't be happy. I admit that sometimes I fall prey to that thought. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor." Are they blessed with material possessions? Obviously not, because that would mean they probably aren't poor. But sometimes I think the poor are blessed because they have the ability to be happy with what they do have. While the rich are trading in their three year old car for a new one, the poor are happy to have a mode of transportation. While the rich stand in line for hours waiting to be the first to buy the latest smartphone, the poor are happy to have personal conversations with their family and neighbors. 

The meditation wraps up with this thought:

There are a hundred ways in which I measure the importance of myself and others in this life - the kind of job, car, house and clothes a person has. But come the kingdom, the only thing that matters is how we treat one another.

To quote Alicia: BOOM! The only thing that matters is how we treat one another. You have a million dollar home, a Corvette, make $400,000 a year and wear Armani suits? How do you treat the person who cleans your office? You rent an apartment, drive a '92 Oldsmobile, make $16,000 a year and wear Wrangler jeans? How do you treat the person whose office you clean? Rich or poor (and anywhere between), we have to treat each other with dignity and respect. We have to love one another (Read 1 John 3:11-18- talk about some "BOOM"). Love doesn't judge the man eating out of the trash can- love tries to help make sure no one has to eat out of a trash can. Love doesn't lust after the Corvette- love is happy with what it has.